Both teams are clients of his company, Plano-based Learfield Sports, which sets up multimedia deals, sponsorships and promotions for athletic programs.

So it will be a night for a victory dance, no matter whether the Crimson Tide rolls or the Tigers maul.

Learfield had pretty good odds of being in this situation since it also represents the University of Oklahoma, which was knocked out by Clemson on New Year’s Eve.

Its roster also includes Texas A&M, North Carolina, Stanford, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and Southern Methodist, plus the Big Ten and Southland conferences.

“We’re known more by our brands, our teams, than we are as Learfield,” says Brown, the 54-year-old president and CEO of the parent company, Learfield Communications Inc.

But that’s changing as Learfield’s reach and breadth expand.

Learfield doesn’t disclose revenue, but Brown does say that the company is profitable. Industry estimates place Learfield’s 2015 sales at about $400 million, up $100 million from the previous year.

Providence Equity Partners, which focuses on sports, sports media and communications enterprises, owns the majority stake of Learfield Communications. Brown and other Learfield executives own the rest.

And Brown and his team call the shots.

“Providence is very helpful and strategic,” Brown says of his Rhode Island investors. “They’re as engaged as we need them to be, but they’re not active in the day to day.”

‘Switzerland’

Brown’s attire for the championship game won’t show a hint of boosterism.

“I’ll be Switzerland,” he says. “Athletic officials from every conference and most of the schools will be present. So to demonstrate alignment with any particular team would undoubtedly offend someone.”

Nor will Brown see much of the action on the field, even though he has darn good seats. Instead, he’ll be making the rounds of suites and enclaves where athletic directors and university chieftains will be hanging out.

Learfield won’t get much of a revenue bump from the championship games. It’s more about one-upping the competition.

As for which team is more important in revenue to Learfield, Brown plays both sides of the field.

Alabama has a more storied history, a larger fan base and a longer, more integrated tenure with Learfield. And yes, that means more revenue coming into Learfield from the Tide than the Tigers — for now.

“When you have a legacy program like Alabama, you build up the relationship over time. You continue to expand your radio programming, create new shows and products, have more inventory to sell,” Brown says.

But Clemson is building a rock-solid program that has come onto the national stage in less than a decade, he says.

“It’s continuing to expand in significance, influence, popularity and fan base,” he says. “Even when they weren’t doing as well, they still drew 80-plus-thousand people every game.”

Winning streak

Two years ago, Brown initiated a game plan that has nearly tripled the number of colleges Learfield represents.

He ramped up Learfield’s national sales efforts, strengthened its management team and bought companies to add complementary services such as stadium concessions and hospitality services, ticket sales, digital platform expertise and online streaming capabilities.

“We bought a second licensing company, merged the two and rebranded them as Learfield Licensing Partners, which has 560 collegiate licensing agreement,” Brown says.

Its 120 multimedia agreements account for the bulk of Learfield’s revenue.

“The other businesses are a diversification play to offer other services to the schools. But they are not as big as our core business, which is our multimedia properties — meaning boots on the ground, where we have a staff and are selling all the media, radio, coaches’ shows, sponsorships on the field and on the court, and partnerships with corporations.”

About a year ago, Learfield bought ANC Sports Enterprises in Purchase, N.Y., which specializes in LED signs for sports venues.

“We’re taking them into the college space,” Brown says. “The day will come when you won’t see very much fixed signage. It just doesn’t pop like LED and doesn’t give you flexibility for motion and activity.”

Learfield is also extending its campus reach beyond athletics and into academics through a division called Campus Connections.

“It’s the opportunity for major corporate brands to affiliate with the institutions more broadly and not just with their athletic programs,” Brown says. “Think of a company like Monsanto connected to one of the big agriculture schools like Texas A&M with a research program. We’re doing campuswide marketing for about 20 of our multimedia schools.”

His mention of the Aggies is more than just a passing reference.

Brown and Texas A&M President Michael Young recently announced a 10-year deal that will explore ways to get corporate sponsorships and market the university.